Wellington people are invited to be among the first in the world to celebrate the upcoming Glasgow Commonwealth Games at a global Scottish dance event.Media release 4 June 2014

Wellington among first in world to celebrate Commonwealth Ceilidh

Wellington people are invited to be among the first in the world to celebrate the upcoming Glasgow Commonwealth Games at a global Scottish dance event.

Ignite Sport and Lower Hutt Scottish Country Dance Club have partnered to hold the Commonwealth Ceilidh on Saturday 21 June.

“We’d love people to join in the fun, dance and support our work with young people throughout the Wellington Region,” says Ignite Sport’s Coordinator Kevin Goldsbury.

The Commonwealth Ceilidh is a global 24-hour celebration of Scottish dance and culture as a lead-up to the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. Groups around the world are holding ceilidh at the same time, with people dancing the same dances at the same local time, for 24 hours. New Zealand will be the first country to dance and Hawaii finishes the programme.

The Lower Hutt ceilidh is the only New Zealand event directly linking sport and dance. Other ceilidh are being held in Auckland, Waipu, Mangonui and Christchurch.

Lower Hutt Scottish Country dancers are keen to share the dance form. They believe partnering with Ignite Sport will create an enjoyable evening for both groups as well as support the organisation’s youth development work through sport and recreation.

Ceilidh dancing has been done in Scottish communities for centuries. The dances are easy and require no experience. Most are done with a simple walking or skipping step with instructions ‘called’ throughout the dance. “The focus is on communal enjoyment and no-one cares what your feet are doing,” says Iain Matcham, of the Lower Hutt Scottish Country Dance Club.

“At Ignite Sport we use sport and recreation to engage and impact young people and communities. The Commonwealth Ceilidh has similar goals – this will be a unique event,” says Kevin. The organisation aims to invite local sports representatives to join in.